


A Simpler Age

by Do_not_careissa



Series: Star Sapphire Jason [14]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Green Lantern - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Confusion, Family Fluff, Human Trafficking, Jason Todd's Childhood, M/M, Magic, Mentions of child neglect, Missions Gone Wrong, Protective Hal Jordan, Star Sapphire Jason Todd, mentions of drug abuse, possible panic attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:54:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27734878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Do_not_careissa/pseuds/Do_not_careissa
Summary: It should have been easy. Get in, get out, save the kids, get the monster that did this. Between Jason and Roy it should have been a piece of cake, and it was. They knew where the kids were, they knew why the were taken, and they knew who took them. It was all so easy.Until it wasn't.Magic was the worst. At least they were all in agreement on something for once.
Relationships: Guy Gardner & Jason Todd, Guy Gardner/Hal Jordan, Hal Jordan & Jason Todd, Kyle Rayner/Jason Todd, Roy Harper & Jason Todd
Series: Star Sapphire Jason [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1632121
Comments: 16
Kudos: 236





	A Simpler Age

There was nothing quite like wrapping up a case, especially with a case like this. Drugs and weapons, if it had stopped there Jason might not have bothered to be honest. Sure he would have figured out some way to fuck up the shipment, to drop it into the bay, to be the nuisance he was always meant to be. But he couldn’t do that, not this time.

No, their perp had gotten greedy, had decided all the money he was getting from his drugs and weapons trading wasn’t nearly enough. He’d decided to expand his inventory and Jason wasn’t about to let that shit slide.

Trafficking, while present, had never been a particularly large issue in Gotham. No, all the big operations had to do with mayhem and chaos and death. If people were taken it was usually either personal or some random sicko that saw an opportunity and decided to take it. People knew it was a possibility, especially those in the poorer neighborhoods. They knew to stay in groups, to avoid certain areas. They had to keep each other safe after all.

But over the last few years meta-human trafficking had become a hot button topic in the criminal underworld, the interest spanning across the globe thanks in large part to the growing public presence of superheroes. To make matters worse, most of the trafficking rings that had been dealt with had a particular focus on children and teens. They’d be dragged away from their homes, their families none the wiser, and sold into these trafficking rings all so they could be tested, and if found to be a carrier of the meta-gene, sold to the highest bidder. Jason had his fair share of shutting down those fucked up auction houses over the last few years with a sting in seemingly every continent. Roy and Kori were always right beside him, their own rage and need for justice joining his as they set the buildings ablaze. But with every circle that fell, with every connection cut off, it seemed like there was another that would rise to take its place.

There would always be some disgusting, filthy rich dirtbag who wanted to take advantage of the powerless, who was ready to flaunt his cash and get everything he wanted. It was nauseating.

And it seemed one such person had decided to make Gotham their city of operations. Marcus Lester, single, mid thirties, a sales broker by trade with a penchant for less than legal jobs. He’d seen the peace the city had been experiencing, had taken note of how much more relaxed the citizens had become since the Joker’s death. He saw an opportunity and he took it.

In the few weeks that he’d been on Earth Jason had been following every new missing persons case, every reported abduction. It was more than could be said for the GCPD. Just another poor kid on the wrong side of town gone missing. _Boohoo_. Next.

Jason wasn’t putting up with that shit, not now, not ever.

Roy and Kori had been quick to join him, with one usually staying home to watch over Lian. They weren’t taking any chances, not with how long the list of missing kids was getting.

It was during that time that Jason started to see the connections. Not the connections in the case, but the visible threads between people. They were faint, creating a transparent web from everyone, but when he concentrated they became more opaque, a violet string that would connect people together. If he followed the brightest of those strings he’d find the person they loved the most. He didn’t know why he was seeing this now, why he never had before. But he didn’t have time to question it. If anything they’d chosen the perfect time to reveal themselves.

That’s how he found the victims.

A single mother, tears pouring down her face as she described her son and what had happened, was the key. Roy recorded everything she said, asking for locations and faces and anything else that could help. Jason, from the safety of his helmet, had zeroed in on the woman, focused on that love she felt for her son, and the line appeared.

They made quick work of following the strand, with Jason swapping into his Sapphire persona so they could get there quicker. The Gotham shipyard waited for them, shipping containers stacked and ready to be moved. Finding the right container wasn’t the issue, getting to it without endangering the kids was. Armed men patrolled the area, and right there with the kids was another person. Lester, Jason determined, catching sight of the man’s face and the strange tattoo on his hand. From a distance Jason couldn’t tell exactly what he was doing, all he could see was some kind of light flashing over the kids. If he had to guess he’d say magic, but the question now was what kind of magic. Mind control maybe? Or was this their way of testing for meta genes? It would make it easier to separate the kids if they could identify them earlier on. It figured their perp would be a magic user, it just figured.

He didn’t want to think about what happened to the kids who tested negative.

Their call to the others was filled with clipped words and little fanfare. With the knowledge of the others incoming, they moved out.

Between the two of them, the patrols were dropped in a matter of minutes, the unconscious men hidden away. Jason and Roy had done this enough times over the years, as partners, on their own, working with others, they knew what they were doing. It was like second nature at this point. Silent as mice they made their way towards their target, holding their fingers up when the kids saw them. It was unfortunate that that wasn’t enough.

Fire seared the air where Jason had been standing, the crates behind him set ablaze. The children screamed from their places before a silencing spell was cast on them, rendering them mute even as their faces turned red from their efforts.

Jason moved quickly, kicking Lester away from his victims, sending him to the ground. And if Jason put a bit more power into the kick than he should have, well, who could really blame him?

The man staggered up, his eyes hard even as he remained silent. That wasn’t right. Normally they’d be talking, pleading, offering up some kind of deal, anything to get rid of him. It didn’t matter who or what the perp was, they always said something. Yet this one just stared, eyes glowing a light blue, the same as the marking on his hand.

Roy readied his arrow from farther away, aimed right for the man, and Jason already knew he wouldn’t make it. A blast of energy emerged from the mystic’s raised hand, a light blue beam racing for Roy. It was too fast for Jason to stop, too fast for Roy to dodge. He forced himself to ignore his friend’s cry of surprise, instead slamming the mystic into the wall, relishing in the man’s cry of pain.

“What the fuck was that?” he growled in his face, his violet glow growing threateningly. “What did you do?”

Lester hummed, looking up at him with those glowing eyes as though he were bored. Fuck, Jason couldn’t hear Roy anymore, and the low humm of their open communication line wasn’t there anymore. Shit, what did this fucker _do_?

He pulled him closer, his hands tightening in the man’s jacket, and for the briefest of seconds he thought he saw fear in those eyes. But then it was gone, and the man’s back hit the metal container with a resounding _thud_.

“Answer the question,” he demanded. He heard something in his ear, Dick’s voice telling him they were close. They better be, or he might break this fucker’s jaw, give him an actual reason not to talk.

“Simple. I sent your friend to a simpler time,” the man replied with boredom. “Now could you hurry up. I have a schedule to keep.”

Violet ropes wrapped themselves around the perp, weaving and winding as tight as they could, but still this asshat just looked on with boredom. He even had the audacity to sigh. Who the hell did he think he was?

Jason could see a red glow out of the corner of his eye, and a shadow moving in the other. Good, Dick and Cass were here, they could take care of the kids and Roy while he—

Another sigh, this time followed by unfamiliar words and a familiar bright light. He flew back, the air flying out of his lungs as he landed on his back, a serious pain burning through his bones as his vision was covered in that same light blue. He heard yelling, saw Dick’s red energy fly at the man, knew Cass was at his side saying something, but he couldn’t tell what.

He managed to lift his head, managed to point to where Roy had been, the burning growing worse with every second, almost like it was pulling tighter, like it was shrinking in on him. What was happening to him?

He didn’t get his answer, the sensation only growing worse, the blue beginning to cover everything, to take Cass out of his line of sight. He tried to say something, tried to reach out and grab her, to yell, to do _something, anything_. Instead the world went black around him and his attempts ceased.

* * *

Dick couldn’t believe this.

His night had been going fine, hell the last few weeks had been going better than fine. Between his and Jason’s return, Jason’s continued presence in Gotham, Dick’s own luck with Roy and Kori, Bruce actually trying to listen and get better—albeit reluctantly at times—it was all looking great. He was in for an easy patrol too, it being a Monday night and all, and while he knew Jason and Roy had their bust that they’d been working towards, he knew they had it in the bag. Those two knew what they were doing, had years of experience between them. They’d be fine.

And then they weren’t.

Okay, maybe he could believe their luck, this was Gotham after all. This god forsaken city couldn’t let anyone be happy, least of all them. They’d been on a winning streak for a few weeks now, it was only appropriate that _something_ would go wrong. And this damn city sure as hell wasn’t going to let him catch the bastard that did this apparently either.

He threw another ball of energy into a container, his scream of outrage filling the shipyard. He’d gone after the trench coat wearing son of a bitch the second that spark hit Jason, but before he could get a hold of him he’d disappeared in a puff of smoke. The problem wasn’t that Jason and Roy were hurt per say, but, well…

They certainly weren’t their normal selves.

They’d shrunk, Jason much more so than Roy, and with their mass and height went their age. Roy looked maybe fifteen at most, his limbs taking on that gangly awkwardness that all growing teenagers had. If Dick didn’t know any better he’d say Roy looked to be about Speedy aged. But there was no way to know for sure until he woke up.

Hell, for all they knew he and Jason might have retained their memories. Oh _please_ let that be the case. That would make everything so much easier.

Knowing Gotham, that wasn’t likely to happen.

He looked down at Jason, took in his small form, his shallow cheeks, how weightless he seemed in Cass’s arms. If Dick hadn’t seen Jason shift he didn’t know if he’d believe it was actually him. Even with the few pictures of Jason hanging around the manor from when he was younger, Dick could hardly believe his own eyes.

But that was definitely Jason, just as that was definitely Roy. The one good thing was that Jason’s ring had shrunk with him, remaining fixed to his finger. Cass had given it a curious tug, only to find it wouldn’t budge. So they didn’t have to worry about the ring flying away, that was one positive in their corner.

Was it really though? Jason was what? Maybe ten? Possibly younger? He was a whatever-year-old with a pretty dodgy upbringing, who, if Dick remembered correctly, had dropped out of school to take care of his drug addicted mother before she eventually overdosed. No matter where you fell on that timeline, it wouldn’t be good. Dick couldn’t imagine what could happen. Kids weren’t exactly the best at controlling their emotions, and with a ring that was powered by them stuck to Jason’s finger, it could be a disaster.

Please let them have their memories, please.

That was all they could hope for at this point.

Neither of the two stirred while they waited for the police to arrive and take the kidnapped children away. They didn’t stir when they were set in the backseat of the Batmobile, and they certainly didn’t stir when it took off with Damian and Cass at the helm. Dick followed the vehicle, keeping a look out for the man from earlier. Not that he expected to see him, but still if he didn’t do something he’d get lost in a sea of worry.

How the hell were they going to function with Jason and Roy as children? How was their…

Oh god. Maybe it’d be better if they didn’t have their memories. A teenaged Roy with the memories of what they’d done just two nights ago, or what they’d done with Kori the night before that, oh that a recipe for disaster. And Kyle, man, the poor guy wasn’t even in town tonight. Which meant he’d inevitably wind up blaming himself, because that’s what they all did. Hero complexes didn’t really let you have a clear conscious, even when you had nothing to be sorry for.

If they were kids though, especially however old or young Jason was, they’d need someone to watch them, right? To supervise and make sure they didn’t get into any trouble? His first thought went to Bruce, and he let himself entertain the idea for a moment before pushing it away. For whatever progress he’d made over the last few weeks, he was still far from being well enough to care for a child. And anyway, he wasn’t Jason’s dad anymore. No, that was Hal…

Dick paused, then about slapped himself. They needed to call Hal. He was their best bet at taking care of either of the two right now. He and Roy had always gotten along well—you didn’t just call someone your uncle for no good reason—and the whole adoption thing made it pretty obvious on Jason’s end. And if he was watching those two it’d give Dick and the others time to hunt down the man responsible, keep watch to make sure no more kids went missing, or at least contact someone to come help them. Zatanna wasn’t busy, was she?

Mind made up with what little of a plan he could make, Dick sped off for the batcave, his ring already lit up and connecting to Hal’s.

* * *

He was cold. Wherever he was, wherever this place was, it was cold. Freezing. Not that he would let himself show it. No, you couldn’t do that, not in the Alley.

Jason kept his eyes closed, doing his best to feign sleep even as the voices around him picked up. They were echoey, almost like he was in a cave or something, but that didn’t make sense. There weren’t any caves in Gotham, not within the city. Why would he be in a cave?

He tried to remember where he went to sleep last night, concentrated as hard as he could on the memory that just wasn’t there. He couldn’t remember. Panic welled up and he choked back the noise that tried to escape.

He’d been drugged, hadn’t he? Some sicko got him and doped him up on something and brought him here. No no no this couldn’t be happening, _no_. He was careful, he stayed out of the way of the gangs and the mob, he knew what streets and alleys and corners to avoid. No, this couldn’t be happening.

The voices seemed to get louder, a weird rushing sound coming closer, getting louder too. A man, definitely not from Gotham, was demanding, “What happened? Where is he?” There was a wave of answers, people talking over each other. Jason could only pick out a few words here and there, his name, the name of the local shipyard. Was that where they found him?

There was a presence by his side, someone standing over him, rummaging through what sounded like bottles. “Master Jason,” an old British voice said as a hand brushed the hair off his forehead. “It is okay. You can open your eyes. You are safe here.”

He waited a few moments, waited for any sudden change in the man’s demeanor, then squinted his eyes open before opening them fully. He’d been right, this was definitely a cave, and those were definitely rocks overhead. He turned to the voice, finding an old man staring back at him with a sad smile. Who was this guy?

“Can you tell me what you remember Master Jason?”

He stared at the man, not moving a muscle. He didn’t even know this guy and he thought he’d just tell him what he wanted? Really? He could call him “Master” all he wanted, he wasn’t gonna be tricked by something like that. He wasn’t an idiot, he knew how kidnappers and abusers worked. Get you comfortable, make sure you trust them, then you’re powerless.

“You’ve had a bit of an accident I am afraid,” the man said when he received no answer. He reached to the side, grabbing a plate with a sandwich on it. “We aren’t sure how much you remember. Though I fear it isn’t much.”

Jason watched him skeptically, pushing himself into a sitting position slowly. He’d had enough people offer him food expecting something in return. Who’s to say this old guy wasn’t any different?

“’s safe,” someone said behind him. He whirled around to find another boy staring back at him. “I know him, it’s okay,” the boy promised, taking a bite of his own sandwich. His accent wasn’t from Gotham either, something west coast if Jason remembered those sitcoms his mom used to watch correctly.

Jason wanted to argue, it’s not like he knew who this guy was either, and he knew enough about kids who were used by adults to get other kids. Who’s to say he’s not one of them?”

“I’m Roy,” the other kid offered his hand, and Jason immediately took note of the scarring and calluses on his fingers. What did this guy do, freaking archery? The line on his finger was too clean, too sharp to be from any knife Jason had seen, but surely there was something else it could be.

Jason took the hand gingerly, still not entirely trusting this guy. He couldn’t take that chance. But he needed to find out what happened to him, why he was here, why he wasn’t home with his mom.

Oh no, his mom. She’s gonna be worried.

But would she really be? Half the time she didn’t seem to notice him anymore, too busy with her drugs and the feeling she got from them. She claimed she wanted a better life for him, but he couldn’t be so sure sometimes, not when he always seemed to fall into second place even though she’d always be his first. But she could last a few days without him, right? She was a grown up afterall, she could at least order takeout or something.

But did they have the money for that?

“You okay?” Roy asked. The old man was keeping an eye on him too, a worried glint in his eye.

“...Yeah, it’s just...my mom.”

The old man dropped whatever he’d been holding, and Jason turned to find him pale as a ghost. He heard a sharp intake, the other people farther into the cave dropping silent.

“Master Jason,” the old man began as he placed a tired old hand on his shoulder.

Jason shrugged it off, his earlier panic returning. “Why d’ya keep calling me that?” he demanded, looking around to find every available eye staring at him. “I don’t even know you.”

For some reason the statement seemed to hurt the man, and he withdrew his hand. He tried to say something, his mouth working but no sound coming. Finally he just nodded, nudging the plate with the sandwich closer to Jason and turned to leave. What the hell?

“I think we time traveled,” Roy said, moving over to Jason’s bed.

Jason sent him a withering glare for the move, which didn’t even seem to faze the red head. “Yeah right,” he barked back. He ignored the grumbling in his stomach, the pain there. He’d gone hungry longer than this, he’d be fine. He didn’t need some weirdo’s pity sandwich. Never.

“Seriously, look around you dude.” Roy swung his arm out, gesturing to the cave like Jason hadn’t bothered to look at anything since he woke up. “We’re in the Batcave. But it’s an upgraded Batcave, definitely not the one from our time.”

Jason pushed him away as best he could, his frustration growing ever stronger. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Roy stared back at him blankly, like he somehow just couldn’t see the absurdity in anything he was saying. He took a deep breath, turning to look at the loud group, before turning back. “I know Batman and Robin,” he said slowly, “I was in the cave last week with Ollie. That old guy, Alfred? Had a lot more hair last week, and a lot darker too. And you see that,” he pointed towards a large computer terminal, “that was a whole lot bulkier, less screens but bigger overall. And a whole lot louder. And all those cases and costumes, they weren’t there either.”

Jason looked back at him, finally starting to understand what he was saying. But if he were right, if they were in the future, then…

“Mom?”

“I don’t know,” Roy shrugged. “What you know is what I know at this point, and it’s not a lot.”

“What do we do?”

Before Roy could answer the voices raised again, only this time there was anger in the words, a clear want to fight that Jason recognized all too easily.

“He stays here,” boomed a deep voice, sending the bats above screaming away. The guy looked kind of familiar. Jason got the feeling he’d seen him somewhere, maybe not in person, but probably in some magazine, or maybe even back when mom and dad could afford cable. A name entered his thoughts, coming out of nowhere, Bruce. For some reason it felt right.

“Like hell he is,” yelled another man angrily. “Seriously, after all the crap you’ve pulled you think I’m gonna let you keep either of them here? With _you_ ? No.” The man definitely wasn’t from Gotham. He probably wasn’t even from the east coast if the way he talked was anything to go by. That wasn’t the strangest thing though. No, it was that the guy was straight up _glowing_ , him and the red haired guy next to him.

“You have no idea how to handle a child,” Bruce argued back, his hand tight on his wheelchair’s armrest.

“Based on current evidence, you don’t either,” the glowing guy shouted. “That is my son and if you think I’m leaving him or my nephew with you you’re fucking insane.”

The yelling continued, on and on, getting louder and louder, and god why couldn’t they just stop, _please_.

He slipped off the bed, avoiding the hand Roy offered. The voices were getting louder, both yelling and angry and oh god they were yelling about him weren’t they? But why? Why would they do that?

He could feel his heart beating as he ran from the small platform, looking for anything, anywhere, he could go to get away. An opened door called his name and he ran in, paying no mind to Roy calling after him. Wherever he went it had to be better than there, than that cold cave with its high ceiling, with the screaming and the shouting and the accusations. He had to get away, he just had to, there was no other option. The space before him was open, tidy, much like everything else he’d seen in the cave. If he had to guess this seemed like a locker room, with towels piled up by another two doors and different cabinets and locker doors lining the walls. He grabbed a handful of the towels as he staggered as far from the entrance as he could. He found a corner where he hunkered down, slipping the towels over his head in an effort to block out the voices. But it wasn’t helping. Then again, had it ever?

He tried to focus on the feeling, on how soft the towels were, how greasy his hair felt, but the voices just kept coming. And then the voices didn’t belong to the two men anymore, not really. The words they said shifted into a familiar pattern, a familiar voice. He squeezed his eyes shut, wishing for the memories to just _go away_ , for him to have a little _peace_. His dad was a lowlife thug who ran for Two-Face, he was barely around before and he definitely hadn’t been around for the last few months. What right did he have taking up space in Jason’s head? Why couldn’t his memory, like him, just disappear?

He didn’t realize how long he sat there, hunched up and fighting to breathe normally. What was he doing? Losing it was dangerous on a normal day, here, with all these strangers, and ones with money and tech and information he didn’t have, it was even more stupid.

Faint, muffled footsteps could be heard through the towels on his head. Jason tentatively lifted one up, causing the footsteps to become slightly clearer. They stopped a few feet away, and Jason could just catch sight of glowing green boots before they faded away into sneakers and jeans. He ducked back behind the lockers in a hurry. Whoever it was sat on the bench, dropping down in such a way that it’d make the most amount of noise. Why was he doing that? People didn’t do that, so why do it now?

A few minutes ticked by in relative silence, the man patting a quiet rhythm on his thighs, almost as though he was making sure Jason knew he was there. Taking a peak around the locker again, Jason found one of the glowing green guys from earlier sitting there, just looking around and humming. It wasn’t the one that was yelling, even without the glow he could tell that. The red hair definitely helped.

The man caught his eye, tilting his head with another hum. Jason’s shoulders raised up, from what he didn’t know.

“It’s okay Jason,” the man said. “Take your time buddy, I’m not going anywhere.”

Usually that kind of statement would feel like a threat, like Jason and his mom were in danger, but it felt different from this guy. Maybe it was the accent, how relaxed he seemed, the fact he wasn’t forcing Jason to talk. Jason watched him for another minute, his eyes running over the man. Finding nothing of concern, he inched closer, still clutching the towels close.

“Who are you?” he asked as he came to a stop a few feet away.

“I’m Guy,” the man answered. For a moment Jason thought it was a joke, he couldn’t be serious. Apparently whatever expression he was making was pretty funny since this “Guy” started laughing, shaking his head.

“Who names their kid Guy?” he asked bewildered.

His response was even more laughter, the man wiping away a tear before he answered, “A dingle nut, that’s who.”

“So your name’s really Guy?”

The man nodded.

“That’s weird.”

As the man laughed Jason found himself inching closer and closer until he was right next to him. Guy looked back at him with a smile, looking him over quickly.

“How are you feeling?” Guy asked.

It took a minute to answer the question. It had been so long since he’d heard something similar, since anyone had asked about his well being instead of his mom’s. “I’m good,” he answered as quickly as he could.

“Any pain or anything? Confusion? Spots in your eyes?”

“Just in my head,” he answered, pointing to his temple where the headache had been building. “No spots, confused, but it’s not ‘cause I’m hurtin’ or anything.”

“It’s ‘cause you don’t know how you got here.”

“Y-yeah.” He looked up at Guy, a weird hope rising in his chest. “Do you know?”

Guy shook his head sadly. “No, not yet,” he said, “but we’re working on it, okay?”

He thought back to the yelling he’d just run from, the raised voices and words laced with poison. “Are you sure?”

Guy must have picked up on his thoughts. He patted the bench next to him, inviting him up. Jason climbed up, careful to keep space between them. “Don’t worry about those two idiots,” Guy said. “They’re worried about you and Roy, they just don’t know how to show it right now.”

“But why? I don’t even know them.”

“It’s complicated,” Guy admitted. At Jason’s insistence he finally said, “You don’t know them now, but when you’re older you do.”

“So Roy’s right then? We time traveled?”

“Yup,” Guy answered without pause, smiling down at him like he was proud or something. “We need to figure out how to send you back, but once we do everything will go back to normal.”

Jason nodded, biting his lip as he stared at the locker before him. Thoughts swirled around and around in his head, fear steadily climbing as the minutes ticked by. What would happen if they couldn’t send him back, if he was stuck here? Who was gonna take care of his mom?

“It’s gonna be alright Jason,” Guy reassured him, tapping the bench with his knuckles. “We’ve got a lot of contacts between all of us. We’ll get you home.”

Jason stared back at him, their eyes connecting as he tried to decide if he could trust him. He was nice, sure, and he was answering his question, but could he really trust him?

Did he have a choice?

“What’s gonna happen to me while we wait?” he asked.

“If you’re alright with it, Hal and I were planning on taking you to our place, look after you and Roy until this gets sorted.”

Jason squeezed his hands tight and forced his voice to stay level. “If you do, what’s it cost?”

Guy looked confused, his mouth hanging open as he tried to figure out what he meant. But realization came crashing down, that confusion bleeding away into shock then sadness. “Nothing,” he said. He held out his hand, and when Jason laid his own small, thin hand in that huge palm he held it tight, like he was trying to convince him through that alone. “You won’t owe us anything Jason,” he promised. “We just wanna keep you safe.”

Taking in the man’s expression, it was hard to even consider that he might be lying. There was just no way. People didn’t fake that concern, not for Jason.

He squeezed Guy’s hand as well as he could, nodding his acceptance of the offer. He knew what kind of danger he could be putting himself in, knew how terribly this could end for him, but what other choice did he have? Stay here in this cave with an old man and a bunch of bats? No thank you.

His stomach chose that moment to rumble, drawing Guy’s attention. He looked over to Jason with a smile and nodded to the door. “Let’s get you some food before we go, yeah?”

Jason made sure to keep a tight hold on Guy’s hand as they left the locker room. He pressed close to the man’s side, intent on keeping the others from seeing him and he more than appreciated that Guy didn’t say anything about it.

* * *

Kyle was panicking. There was no way around it, he was, without a doubt, one hundred percent panicking. What else was he supposed to do, honestly?

“Are you sure?” he asked Dick for what felt like the hundredth time that night. Hell, he probably _had_ asked that many times.

“Yes Kyle,” Dick sighed, his eyes returning to survey the city around them. “I’m sure.”

Why couldn’t he have just one normal relationship? Just one that’s all he’s asking for, one where whatever curse seems to be following him finally takes a long needed vacation, where he doesn’t need to fear fridges or dead children or being replaced. One where he apparently doesn’t need to worry about his lover being turned into an actual _child_.

For fucks sake, they had _plans_ , plans that were very much _not_ child friendly. Plans that included dick without a capital D. 

“It’s going to be alright Kyle, sheesh, just breathe,” Dick chided. Kyle breathed in long and slow, squeezing his eyes shut so as to keep the city at bay.

He blew out his breath, feeling at least a little calmer, but not by much. “So what do we do then?” he asked.

Really, he shouldn’t even be here, he was supposed to be back on Oa along with the other Green Lanterns, but Hal and Guy had left in a hurry, and the second he realised something must be wrong with Jason he sped off after them, leaving poor John to deal with the Guardians. If anyone could it was John he supposed. He could bring him some of his mom’s cookies as his apology, he liked those right? Yeah, that would work.

“We try to find the fucker that did it,” Dick seethed, the red light dancing across his form even more erratically at the statement. “And we need to keep an eye out for any more traffickers, make sure no more kids are grabbed while we’re searching.”

Kyle paused. Traffickers? Gotham was already bad enough, but now it’s got trafficking issues? Could someone please just burn this place to the ground already, it _clearly_ needed a do over.

“Jason and Roy were following a meta-human trafficking ring. They managed to get to about two dozen kids before they were transported.”

“But whoever changed them was there too.”

“Yeah. And without their memories we have no way of knowing how they found them or what the man was doing to them.”

Groaning Kyle put his head in his hands to curl up where he floated. It couldn’t be easy, could it? No, it couldn’t just be a deaging spell, it had to be one that actually changed them in body, mind, and memory. He shivered, just thinking about it. As frustrating as it was to see Jason so young, Kyle could only wonder how much worse it could’ve been. What would have happened had he changed Jason to fifteen, to when the Joker got his slimy hands on him? What would have happened if he’d changed him to a few weeks later when Jason was dead and buried, or even a few months after that when he was catatonic and without memories of any kind? To when he’d been dunked in the Lazarus Pit? To when he was filled with Pit Madness?

It was terrifying.

“Cameras?” he asked, hoping to push the thoughts and images away. 

“Disabled, or they were tampered with. Nothing to pull.”

“Jason’s helmet?” He still wore it right? He was in Gotham after all, he was more likely to go out as Red Hood than as a Star Sapphire.

“Off, he’d shifted to his Sapphire uniform when they went for the bust.”

“So no helmet,” he said dully. Of course, the one time it would’ve been best for Jason not to use his ring he was using it. “Any cameras on Roy?”

“Only in his domino, but they disappeared along with everything else he had.” Dick grumbled, eyes squinting as he looked down to the street below them. “All we have is the files they left in Jason’s apartment.”

Kyle groaned again, not caring how loud he was being. He had a right to be frustrated. He spun around a few times, ending upside down. “What if we can’t find the guy?” It wasn’t something he really wanted to contemplate, but there really was no way around it.

“Zatanna is coming in a few days. If they’re not back to normal by then she’ll figure something out.”

“And if she can’t?”

“Kyle,” Dick grabbed his shoulder, forcing him upright. “It’s going to be alright. This is Jason and Roy we’re talking about, two of the most stubborn assholes on the planet. I wouldn’t be surprised if they went back to normal out of pure spite.”

Kyle shook his head as he laughed. “They would do that, wouldn’t they?”

“You bet your ass they would,” Dick pulled back with a smile. “Besides, it seems like most of these types of spells wear off. With any luck, they’ll be back in a week.”

A week? Somehow a week suddenly felt so much longer than the seven days it was. A week, how was he supposed to survive like this for another week?

When this was over Jason wasn’t going to be leaving his sight, no way no how.

* * *

Roy was already asleep by the time the door to the little apartment they were in opened. Jason didn’t know how he did it, not while his own nerves were on fire. The bed Guy gave them to sleep on was nice and all, and sure the flight over was cool and stuff, but he just couldn’t bring himself to fall asleep. What if something happened? What if the person who sent them back in time came looking for them?

What if Guy changed his mind and he didn’t want to help them anymore?

He pulled the blankets closer, willing away the thought. No, he wouldn’t do that, never. He was a Green Lantern, he was a hero like Wonder Wonder and Superman, he wouldn’t just kick them out.

Looking over at Roy, he had to wonder about something the older boy had said. He knew them, he knew Robin, but how? Was he another sidekick like Robin? How did you even _become_ a sidekick?

He heard murmuring through the door, no doubt Guy and whoever had just entered the apartment. Jason slipped off the bed, tip toeing his way over to the cracked door. He pressed himself against the wall, straining his ears as he looked through the crack. The other guy, he was the other Green Lantern, right? He had a ring like Guy, and he had the same hair as the one from the cave earlier, short and brown with a bit of a wave to it. It had to be him. Oh, what did Guy say his name was again? Hill? Ham? Harry?

“—can’t do that Hal.”

Well that answered that question. He looked out again, finding Guy pushing Hal onto the couch. Jason couldn’t really see Guy’s face, but he couldn’t imagine it was all too pleasant if Hal’s scolded expression was anything to go by.

“Bruce started it,” Hal grumbled as he crossed his arms.

“And you’re both idiots.” Guy sighed as he rubbed his face before sitting on the coffee table behind him. It gave a slight jolt, a little sway at the added weight, but it held up just fine. He sighed again, and what little defensiveness Hal had going for him crumbled. “You know about his parents, how that affected him, what he’d do when they started fighting. For fuck’s sake Hal, he only told us two months ago.”

“But Bruce—“

“Is not here. I’ll deal with him later.”

Bruce, that was the guy with the black and gray hair right? The one who was fighting with Hal? Guy said Jason knew him and Hal when he was older, but what about this Bruce guy? Why was he so important?

For some reason it felt like he was, like in some small corner of Jason’s mind something was reaching out for him. He noticed something similar with Guy, but he assumed that was just because he was nice to him, but now, now he couldn’t be so sure. It freaked him out.

Guy’s voice drew him back, his name falling from the man’s lips. “...was scared. I get it that you wanna fight him, I do too —big shock I know— but he comes after Jason.”

By that point Hal’s shoulders had slumped and he was picking at the fibers of the coach. “Is he okay?” he asked quietly.

“Yeah. He was a bit shaken up, but he came out of it.”

“Not the first time he’s done it I suppose.”

“No, it’s definitely not.”

Silence stretched out between the two, and Jason began to think he’d been noticed. He took a step back, ready to bolt for the bed if need be. Thankfully that wasn’t necessary.

Hal reached for Guy’s hand, pulling it closer to him, thumb rubbing over the man’s knuckles before kissing it. There seemed to be some weird pink light at the contact, but Jason couldn’t tell what it was. He’d never seen anything like it. Since the others weren’t reacting to it, he could only assume it was normal.

He had to strain to hear what Hal said, the “I’m sorry,” almost too quiet for him to make out.

“I’m not the one ya need to apologize to,” Guy responded, slipping their fingers together.

“Yeah, still, you shouldn’t have had to handle all that on your own. He’s my son.”

Guy huffed. He leaned in towards Hal, Hal mirroring the motion, and there was that pink light again. What was this?

Feeling someone at his back, he looked up to find Roy there, a look of surprise on his face.

“What’s wrong?” he whispered as quietly as he could.

“Uncle Hal is always fighting with Guy back in our time. Like they’ll work together okay and everything, but, well...” Roy‘s voice dropped off, confused and unsure how to explain himself. “This is so weird.”

Jason turned away from him, wondering how close Roy must be to these guys to not only call Hal his uncle, but to know how he and Guy normally talked to each other. He racked his brain for a possible explanation until one came roaring in. Green Lantern and Green Arrow were on good terms, friends even from the news stories he remembered. Green Arrow had a sidekick, Speedy, who had red hair from everything Jason had heard. Roy being Speedy would explain how he knew so much, and the scars and stuff on his hands. It’d explain why he knew they were in the Batcave earlier, why he hung out with Robin. It all made sense.

A yawn and a chuckle pulled their attention, a quiet “You tired Jordan?” letting them know who did it.

“Just a little,” Hal answered as he pulled Guy down next to him.

“Well the couch is ours ‘til the kids go back to normal.”

“Seriously?”

“It’s a pull out, it ain’t gonna kill you.”

Hal whined, reluctantly letting Guy pull him up.

“Floor’s always an option if it’s not up to your standards your majesty.”

“Fine.” Hal plastered himself to Guy’s back, forcing him to use his ring to move everything.

Jason looked back to Roy, finding the other still watching the scene before them. “Should we…?”

“Nah,” Roy said as he turned to go back to the bed. “They’ll be fine.”

Watching Hal get dropped onto the thin mattress, Jason could only hope they would be too.

* * *

Beyond the chittering of bats and the moving water below, both of which remained no matter the time of day, the only other sound heard was the forceful clicking of a keyboard and mouse. Bruce hadn’t entered the cave in quite some time, not with any intention of actually using its facilities. No, anytime he’d made a move or even just mentioned entering the space he’d been stopped or moved somewhere else. It didn’t matter who was nearby or if there even was anyone nearby, they’d be there to stop him.

He understood their response, understood that at the moment he was the intruder on their work, but that didn’t stop the yearning, the _need_ to get down there and _do something._

He was fortunate that no one had been present to stop him this time, no Stephanie or Duke to hop in the way and talk his ears off in a bid to make him forget what he was doing, no Tim to give him that _look_ that screamed disappointment before he started droning on about work, no Damian to swoop in and grab his wheelchair’s handles and wheel him somewhere else. He didn’t know where any of them were, let alone what they were doing. Alfred was around as he always was, but wherever he was it wasn’t at Bruce’s shoulder, and he wasn’t about to complain.

Gift horses and mouths and all that nonsense.

His fingers worked as quickly as they could across the familiar keypad, his left hand forced to do the work for two, slowing him down significantly. His eyes glued to the screen, he wasn’t surprised when the first locked search appeared, when the first warning came across his vision. He knew files would be locked from him, that much was obvious, but locked files or not he needed to do this, he had to.

This wasn’t the first magic related incident he or any of the others had dealt with, and they always kept files on every encounter. This also wasn’t the first case of someone being turned into a child. If he could just find those files, just see how those cases were reversed, he could do something here, he could help his—

The sixth warning came up, flooding the screen with red, and he couldn’t hold back his snarl of outrage or keep his fist from slamming into the console’s surface.

Why was this happening, why now? He was trying to help, to do something good, to help his, his… For fuck’s sake!

He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing himself to breathe as Linda’s voice droned on in his head, repeating what she’d said in their session earlier that week. Limitations, he needed to set limitations, to not push himself so hard. He needed to be calm, to think this through, to see things from multiple perspectives.

But the longer he did that the less time he’d have to search. He needed to search, he needed to find the cure for this, whether it be magic or medicine or time. He couldn’t just sit by while Jason and Roy were stuck in this state.

His eyes drifted, just as they always seemed to, to the old case. Even standing beside the others, shoulder to shoulder with Dick and Tim’s cases, Jason’s always pulled his attention. And just like always, it felt like it was watching him, like it was judging him, all while damning his futile attempts. Like it didn’t believe he was sincere in his drive to return Jason to normal, or perhaps like it didn’t believe he was foolish enough to want to.

Bruce felt himself go cold at the thought, the chill creeping up his fingers towards his chest, digging in as it went. Maybe he shouldn’t do anything, maybe none of them should. Jason and Roy had so much trauma between them, so much pain. At this age they didn’t know how bad it could get. Jason hadn’t experienced living on the streets, let alone dying yet, and Roy didn’t know the pain of Oliver’s rejection and abandonment, his struggles with drugs and getting clean again. If anything it’d be a blessing, a new start. The world had already taken so much from them, maybe this was one way to give it back.

He shook his head, his hands clenched tight as he spun the idea around.

These two, while they might be Jason and Roy, weren’t the Jason and Roy he knew, the ones to whom the universe owed its debt. Without those experiences, without those hardships, they weren’t the same people, even if they might be physically. Bruce was who he was because of his own experiences, because of his past. If he didn’t have that he’d be a different person, an alternate version. Changing the past wouldn’t just make the current him change, it’d essentially erase him. 

But it’s not him they’re worried about, Bruce reminded himself.

Ace whined at this side, the German Shepherd nudging his thigh as he looked at him with those big, worried, brown eyes. Bruce sighed, running his hand over the dog’s head and scratching behind his ears in a bid to get him to calm down. Ace pushed back against the contact, and Bruce couldn’t stop the small smile from appearing on his face as he got lost in the moment. Every time he’d try to remove his hand Ace would whine again, poking and prodding until he got what he wanted.

“Someone likes his attention doesn’t he,” Bruce cooed down to the dog, chuckling as Ace tilted his head. “You’re spoiled rotten, you know that?”

Ace just barked.

It took a while to resume his search, Ace refusing to leave him be, but no sooner did he begin he was once more interrupted. Damian’s clipped footsteps approached, his eyes running over the two of them. Bruce met his son’s eyes, leaving the two to stare at each other in a bid to gain dominance. It almost surprised Bruce how long Damian held out for, the boy usually so quick to please him, or to turn and storm away. It seemed that, like many things, was long gone. 

“Father,” Damian said, his tone as sharp as his footsteps had been. “You know you are not permitted in the cave without supervision, let alone into the files for the foreseeable future.”

The role reversal caught Bruce off guard, the tone his son used, as though Damian were the parent and Bruce the unruly child. He supposed it made sense in a strange sort of way.

Damian rounded him, shutting down the computer terminal before taking hold of his father’s wheelchair once more. Without a word he started moving them towards the elevator. Ace followed along easily enough, looking up to Damian as though looking for approval for keeping watch over Bruce in his stead.

Bruce didn’t bother arguing with Damian over the move. He knew he’d lose any argument that way. It was as Damian said, there’d been rules put in place, rules he was expected to abide by if he wanted to have a chance of regaining favor with those he cared about. Damian wouldn’t listen to his excuses, not any more. Something had clearly changed in his son, something he couldn’t quite name. Looking at it overall, considering what his son had gone through, he’d be more surprised if he hadn’t.

He tried to start up some small talk, asking Damian about any summer projects he might have, plans, the like. That attempt died out quickly, neither quite sure how to connect to the other.

Bruce could only curse himself again, thinking to how much he’d clearly missed in his children’s lives, how much they’d missed out on because of him.

They passed by the sitting room, the portraits lining the walls staring as they went. His eyes fell on the largest, on the family staring back.

“I never properly thanked you for the portrait, did I?” he asked, causing Damian to falter behind him. “You did such a remarkable job too.”

Damian’s face reddened out of the corner of his eye, the boy ducking his head at the praise. “It’s nothing,” he mumbled.

“But it is,” Bruce assured him, looking over his shoulder towards his son. “You did an outstanding job on it, and I was too busy brooding and making assumptions to adequately appreciate it.” He reached for his son’s hand, aware of how stiff it was.

“Thank you Damian, I love it.”

Damian looked off to the side, unable to meet his father’s eyes. It took a moment but his hand finalled relaxed before he looked up to Bruce. He said nothing about the portrait or the thanks, just nodded in the tight lipped way that made Bruce feel like he was looking into a mirror.

God he’d missed so much.

He couldn’t do it again.

* * *

Guy and Hal were weird. Maybe weird wasn’t the right word. Strange? Confusing? Whatever it was they were. And it wasn’t just one or two things, Jason could overlook that. They were Green Lanterns after all, a few quirks were an expectation with that sort of job. But this was different. He couldn’t quite put his finger on why, but he just knew it was.

Then again, Roy didn’t seem to have any issues with them, and he apparently knew them back in their time, so who was Jason to decide? If Roy accepted it, he supposed he could too.

A car alarm drew his attention to the nearest window, showing the late afternoon Manhattan traffic as it crawled past. The cars even looked weird, more round and less blocky. Maybe it was just a future thing.

He made a perch for himself next to the window, his eyes dancing across the crowded street. Manhattan was so much more crowded than Gotham, so much louder, at least it seemed so. Maybe the future Gotham here was just as crowded, its streets jam packed with people and cars. But if there were more people did that mean the Alley and the Narrows were better? More people meant more money in the city, right? More money meant people could do more things.

His leg bounced where it rested, a sudden burning need to search through Gotham erupting within him. He itched to find the streets, to find his home, to see how much better it was.

Maybe that was why Guy brought him here instead of staying in Gotham. He and Hal weren’t stupid, they clearly knew what they were doing, clearly knew him somehow. The decision was on purpose, surely. Here, away from Gotham, away from the familiar roads and signs, he didn’t know where to go. He didn’t know where the danger was, didn’t know who he could and couldn’t trust. The chances of him running off were slim to none here compared to if he were in Gotham. And since they flew here he didn’t know the way back.

He pushed off from the window sill, thoughts of Gotham and Mom and everything there running through his head. He didn’t know what was taking so long, it had been at least three or four days since he woke up here, and he hadn’t gotten any news of what was happening. It was possible Roy knew —he knew these people after all, he’d worked with them, if either of them was going to be kept in the loop it’d be him— but Jason didn’t and he was thoroughly in the dark.

He caught sight of the others, Hal, Guy, and Roy all squished onto the small sofa as some movie played on the old tv in front of them. That familiar pink drew his eye. It seemed to stretch between the three with different levels of brightness. As he stared he saw a line stretching out towards him, a few actually, and he had to squeeze his eyes shut at the sight. What was this? He’d never seen this stuff before, never. He wasn’t a meta, he knew that for sure. He’d know if he was, _he would_. But that didn’t explain this, any of it.

He peaked an eye open, finding the pink glow gone and let himself open the other eye. Thankfully the other three hadn’t noticed his freakout, but still it wasn’t good. He hadn’t said anything about it, but he was starting to think he should. Hal and Guy were Green Lanterns, it wasn’t like they would push him away. And for all he knew this thing could be the key to getting him home.

He looked up, finding Hal staring back at him. He tilted his head, a question, and Jason could only bring himself to awkwardly shrug at the man. Hal just tilted his head again, motioning to the little bit of sofa left open next to him before smiling and looking back to the tv.

Jason thought over the offer, threw it back and forth, wondering if it was a good idea or not. Hal was nice, weird but nice. He was constantly looking for things Jason liked, talking to him in that awkward way adults did when they weren’t sure what they were doing. He’d tried bouncing them between different activities, tried to keep them all busy as well as he could, and while Jason appreciated it, there was still that weirdness. And then there was the time Hal had said his dad liked something and he just went quiet, staring off at the thing. Between all of that and the way Guy acted, constantly checking on him and Roy, his eyes always searching for them, the way he only touched Jason if he had his permission, even just to hold his hand when they crossed the street, it was all so weird, but telling too.

But he wasn’t going to complain, not with the constant access to food, the new clothes they bought for him, or the offers to do whatever he and Roy wanted. The two said they knew older him, and based on the books he’d found around the apartment, all clearly new, he’d have to say they weren’t lying. And truthfully he couldn’t be more grateful for the distraction. 

But he couldn’t get used to this, he couldn’t. Sooner or later he’d be back home with his mom in their crappy little apartment with all its bugs and cold. He’d be back to a life where he didn’t get this, where people weren’t this nice to him. If he wasn’t careful he wouldn’t want to go back and then where would he be? Here, in a time that wasn’t his own, leaving his mom to whatever fate she had without him. He couldn’t do that. He had to go back.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy himself at least a little bit.

He squeezed himself onto the couch, Hal’s arm wrapping around him as he pushed himself into the man’s side. The pink flared up again as he settled, spreading out towards the others. He looked down, hoping it would make the pink go away, only for the weird pink ring on his finger to be in his sight. He glared at the thing, wishing it would answer, only to get nothing. 

He didn’t know what the thing was, had no idea where it came from, but he couldn’t even get it off. He’d tried every trick in the book but none had worked. In a way the ring reminded him of Hal and Guy’s but that wasn’t right. That was impossible. There was no way he would be chosen as a Lantern, it didn’t matter the color. You had to be deemed worthy of that sort of thing. Jason just… wasn’t. He didn’t need anyone to tell him that, he already knew it well enough. Things like becoming a superhero, being chosen for things, that didn’t happen to kids like him.

Hal’s hand on his shoulder squeezed for just a second, just long enough to pull Jason back into the present, then it was gone. Jason looked up, finding those warm brown eyes once again looking down at him. 

“You okay?” Hal whispered, the sounds of the movie and Guy and Roy’s snores drowning into the background.

“Y-yeah,” Jason stammered, his eyes darting away to stare at his fidgeting hands, to watch as his fingers once more tried to twist or pull the ring off to no avail.

Hal waited, rubbing up and down Jason’s shoulders as he held him close.

“It’s just… I keep seein’ stuff,” Jason conceded, his shoulders rising with the confession.

“What kind of stuff?” Hal asked, keeping his voice soft and gentle.

“I don’t know, but it’s pink and glowy. And it seems to, I don’t know, connect to people I guess?”

He looked up, hoping Hal would be able to tell him what was going on, to just say he was seeing things or that his eyes were playing tricks on him, that it was because he barely slept or something. Instead Hal asked, “Have you noticed anything else?”

“No?”

“Hmm.” He stared over Jason’s head in thought. Jason watched, hoping for something, anything, before Hal finally looked back down at him and offered his hand. “I have an idea. Can you give me your hand?”

Jason placed his hand in Hal’s, not at all surprised that Hal’s dwarfed his.

“Now I want you to think really really hard about love, okay? Try to concentrate on mine.”

“Wha-” Jason stared at him, confusion running its course. What did that even mean? What kind of nonsense was Hal spouting here? The man really was a nutjob, wasn’t he?

“Trust me,” Hal assured him, squeezing his hand. “The older you could do it, I know you can too.”

Jason’s lip twisted, utter disbelief screaming from every pore in his body as he looked at their hands. What exactly was he supposed to do here? You didn’t really think about love, right? You experienced it, you felt it. And how was he supposed to feel someone else’s emotions?

He closed his eyes, focusing on Hal’s hand. Fine, if that’s what Hal wanted that’s what he’d get. That didn’t mean there’d be any results. He focused, tried to think of love, to remember what it felt like. He didn’t get anything, but he supposed that was to be expected. But did he, Jason Todd, really ever love anyone? Did he have any experience to compare this to?

Of course he did, he argued. He loved his mom, always. Sure she had her problems and stuff, but he loved her. He thought of her, of the feeling connected to her. He tried to think of it in Hal. It took a minute, but he thought he got something, a glimmer, a woman’s voice, long brown hair, but then it faded away, the voice and the image going with it.

He opened his eyes, finding Hal staring back at him.

“Who?” he said, not really able to say anything else.

“My mom,” Hal answered quietly.

“What was that?”

“The power from your ring.” Hal tilted his hand, the light from the tv reflecting off of the alien material. “When you’re older you can use it much easier.”

“Then why do I have it?” Jason asked. “I don’t know how to use this thing.”

Hal shrugged, and while Jason believed the gesture, something felt off about it, like Hal wasn’t even too sure about it.

“We should probably get you guys to bed,” Hal said, making Jason realize the movie was long over. “I have some friends coming over tomorrow who know you. They might be able to help you with some stuff.”

“You’re sure?”

“No, but it’s better than nothing. They’re both really nice too, you’ll like them. Now come on,” Hal nudged him up and towards the bedroom door. “Off to bed with you. Young men need their beauty sleep just as much as us older guys do.”

A particularly loud snore from Guy broke the silence and Jason couldn’t hold back his snort at the scene. “If you say so Old Man.”

* * *

Hal’s friends arrived as they were eating lunch. Hal had left the small dining table, with its chipping paint, plates of food, and its remaining occupants to answer the sudden knock. Roy had watched him go, shrugged, then went back to eating like it was no big deal. Guy just watched, his plate already empty, swirling the cup of coffee in his hand as his leg bounced under the table. Jason tried to go back to eating, really he did, but he just couldn’t. Hal said whoever these people were they could help him and Roy, they might be able to send them back to their own time. Of course he’d be curious, who wouldn’t be?

Of all the things he’d expected it hadn’t been this. He was expecting something like Wonder Woman, Superman, even that magic guy, Zatar-something, someone large or at least clearly powerful. Not this.

Well, looks could be deceiving. There was something about the look in the one lady’s eyes that had him on edge, and he caught a quick glimpse of the ring on the other’s finger as she talked to Hal. The ring, it looked the same as his, bigger yes, but the same nonetheless.

“-le’s getting antsy,” the one with the ring was saying. Her voice, she had the same accent, dialect, whatever it was called, that Hal had. So they were from the same area? Old friends? Family? They seemed about the same age.

The other woman remained silent next to her, looking over to their little table, clearly taking in the three of them. Her gaze passed between them all, beginning with Guy, then Roy, and landing and staying on Jason. He stared back, unsure of what else to do. He didn’t know who she was, what she wanted… but for some reason he felt like he should, like he knew her from somewhere.

The woman nodded, turning her head to look back at the other two as they continued their conversation.

“That’s Talia,” Guy said, causing him to jump. “And the one talking to Hal is Carol.”

“Carol?” Roy asked, recognition shining in his eyes. “Like Uncle Hal’s girlfriend Carol?”

“Ex-girlfriend buddy,” Guy said with a chuckle. “That title’s mine now. But yeah, that’s her.”

“Dang, that’s too bad.” It took a moment before Roy realized what he said. He practically leapt forward, panic on his face. “I don’t mean, it’s just, I’m not trying to—”

Guy just chuckled again, taking one of Roy’s flailing arms. “It’s okay Roy, I know what you mean.”

“So they’re supposed to help us?” Jason asked as he looked between everyone.

“Hopefully. They’ve got some extra tricks up their sleeves that we don’t.”

Jason nodded, turning back to watch as the three approached.

“He’s still trying to find who did this,” Carol was saying. “Not that they have anyway to ID this guy. All they’ve got is some fake passports and lackluster security footage at this point.”

“That’s Kyle for you,” Hal sighed, pulling out two more chairs for the women. “Too stubborn to let it rest, even when there’s no other option.”

“Sounds like a certain someone I know.”

“You wound me, truly, deeply you do.”

“Sure you big baby.”

“Who’s Kyle?” Jason asked, hoping to figure out what was happening.

The others looked between themselves like they were trying to figure out what to say, like they couldn’t tell him everything. Carol seemed to come to a decision first, leaning in towards him with a soft smile. 

“Someone who loves you a lot,” she said. “He’s trying to figure out who did this.”

The answer threw him for a loop. Love? Him? Who could possibly do that? His mom loved him, sure, but that was about it. What did he possibly do as a grown up to warrant someone loving him? Let alone all these other people who seemed to know and care about him?

“I know it doesn’t seem real right now, but just trust me on this. Love is my power, like will is Hal and Guy’s. I know love when I see it.”

He nodded, still not entirely sure if this was the right answer, but who was he to tell her she was wrong?

“Hal said you could use your ring a little last night,” she said, nodding towards his hand.

“Not really,” he mumbled, suddenly nervous. “I couldn’t do much at all.”

“That’s alright,” she said. “There’s no need for you to do anything with it, alright?” He nodded. “You know how you sort of felt Hal’s love? We think I might be able to figure out how to help you and Roy if I can do something similar. Sometimes you can see memories in people’s feelings. There might be an answer there.”

Memories? So they could like, read minds almost? Not completely but enough to see memories and how people feel? How was that even possible?

“Is that alright with you?” Carol asked, offering her hand. At his hesitation she added, “If you don’t want to we don’t have to.”

“No,” he shook his head, putting his hand in hers. “I want to try.”

“Okay, just focus on me, okay? Focus.”

The world seemed to fade away ever so slightly, the colors shifting and changing, turning into that pink color from before. He felt something in his head, felt as his emotions reacted to whatever she was seeing. He focused on her, on Carol, ignored the feelings and just stared back at her. The pink started to brighten again the lines between Hal and Guy and Roy and him all so bright, and the ones running from Talia and Carol added to the lightshow. 

As Carol pulled the power back the feeling disappeared, the bright pink going, and with it the line he saw between the two women. He felt something at watching the line fade away, like he should say something, make a joke about moms, but he didn’t know why. With its disappearance went his concern, Carol’s voice saying something as he reigned himself back in and watched as Carol moved on to Roy.

* * *

Talking with Roy was usually a pretty relaxing endeavor. Sure, there’d be the times where they’d rile each other up, where they discussed something that pissed them right the fuck off. But for the most part they evened each other out. Here, now, with Roy very much _not_ on the same level as him, with the man turned to a teenager spouting off question after question, Dick wasn’t entirely sure what to feel.

Roy was so bewildered upon first realizing who he was, not that Dick could blame him. He knew Dick as Robin, as a teenager, a sidekick, not as some twenty-nine year old man capable of standing beside the heroes rather than behind them. 

He about laughed when he thought of Roy’s face at seeing Damian fresh out of the Batmobile and still sporting the red, green, and gold of the Robin suit. Roy had been so confused, angry even, his eyes flashing between Damian and Dick as though demanding Dick give an explanation, or at least his blessing. Dick managed to calm him down, saving everyone the pain of watching two thirteen year old boys go at it. It would’ve been an interesting fight, sure, but he didn’t see the point in it. Damian had been calmer lately, finally mellowing out and letting himself just be. There was no sense in adding animosity or tension to his life.

“Come _on_ ,” Roy whined as he pulled on Dick’s arm. “Just _tell me._ ”

Dick just shook his head with a smirk, laughing as Roy whined again. He’d been trying to get information out of Dick, names, pictures, anything. He wanted to know what he looked like, what he did, if he was still Speedy. Dick wasn’t Robin anymore, so maybe he moved onto something else too? When that didn’t work he moved onto asking about the others, about Kori and Donna and Wally, what they were up to, but Dick kept his lips tight. It wasn’t every day he got to be in this position.

Not that this position wasn’t weird as all hell.

Just last night he’d held Lian, danced around the small apartment with the girl in his arms, singing along to her musicals as Kori clapped along from the couch. It was so weird to think that the teenager in front of him was that little girl’s father.

He just couldn’t catch a break with the weird shit, could he?

“Hey Dick.” Roy’s voice pulled him out of the music playing in his mind, the image of Lian’s glee filled face shifting into her father’s young awkwardness. “What are we gonna do?”

Dick tilted his head, watching as Roy looked around the space. He could only imagine how terrifying this whole ordeal was for him. Roy put on a happy and brave face, but Dick had known the man long enough to know he wasn’t sure of himself. Not that Dick could blame him.

“We’re waiting on Zatanna to get here,” he finally answered. “We’re gonna see if she can do anything for you guys.”

“And him?” Roy nodded to the side where Kyle was seated, his hands running through his hair as he glanced down at the sketch pad in his lap. He was tired, they could all see it, his eyes struggling to stay open as he swayed where he sat. He’d spent nearly every waking moment with Dick trying to find the fucker responsible for this, a name, a face, anything, and when Dick couldn’t, when he had to call it a night and return to the others, he did it himself.

“He’s here to help too,” Dick answered simply.

“Well yeah, but who is he?”

“He’s a friend, another hero.”

“Well duh.” When Dick didn’t elaborate he huffed, sulking and grumbling about not being told anything. Dick just chuckled, shaking his head once more.

The other group in the cave drew his eye. Guy and Hal sat off to the side, backs to the wall, with Jason in between them, giving the trio an ample view of the space. The two men were talking, whatever it was drawing a laugh from Guy, but Jason remained quiet. He was clutching their hands, holding the larger limbs as well as he could and Dick had to remind himself that for how much Roy was struggling, Jason was probably much worse off. Roy at least had an idea of what was happening, he knew he could trust Dick and the others. Jason didn’t.

He didn’t know them, didn’t know if they could be trusted, if they were actually telling the truth. It was a wonder how Guy managed to get him out of that locker room the first night, they were all strangers to him after all. Sure, they might wear the masks of heroes, even ones he knew as a child, that didn’t make them safe or trustworthy.

Jason looked up and around, his eyes scouring the cave as Hal and Guy kept up their banter. He was looking for something, that’s the only thing Dick could figure, but what?

His question seemed to be answered soon enough as Jason’s eyes caught on Kyle, a strange look crossing his face. He looked at Kyle, eyes squinted and lips pursed, just like he used to do as Robin when he was trying to figure someone out, then looked back down to himself then back to Kyle, clearly confused. He repeated the action once, twice, then looked between Guy and Hal like he was still unsure of something.

Dick looked back to Kyle, catching his own confused stare. What the hell was that about?

It wasn’t much longer until Zatanna arrived, appearing in the cave’s boom tube where Bruce and Alfred waited for her. By then Roy had gone off to rejoin his little family unit with Jason, leaving Dick free to join the others in greeting Zatanna for their meeting. Kyle slipped beside him easily enough, dark circles and all.

“Almost there,” Dick told him. “Just a little more and they’ll be back.”

“I hope so man,” Kyle answered tiredly. “God I hope so.”

The seats were filled quickly, the table tense as Zatanna started questioning what they knew. Normally one for pleasantries and even some small talk, she clearly believed they couldn’t afford that luxury right now. With the nature of this kind of spell Dick could understand. They didn’t know how long its effects could last, or if it could become permanent if not corrected in a set amount of time. They’d already lost nearly six days, if there was a time limit it was surely running out.

Just the idea sent a shiver down his spine. The idea of Roy and Jason stuck like this, robbed of nearly fifteen years of their lives with no chance to get them back. How devastating would that be to learn? To know that you were a different person, that you were someone, and to know you’d never get that?

“Can you do it?” Bruce asked in his usual gruff manner.

Zatanna sighed, running her hands over her face before folding them on the table. “I believe so, yes.” Everyone perked up at the words, smiles stretching across their faces as they turned to their neighbors. She put a swift end to it as she raised her hand. “I am concerned about Jason though.”

Everyone stared back, wide eyed and worried. Surely that didn’t mean there was something wrong, surely not. This was Zatanna, if anyone could do this it was her.

“Can you do it or not?” Bruce growled, something akin to panic running through his eyes.

“Yes, that doesn’t mean it will be easy, especially with him. He died, and it wasn’t exactly peaceful. Aging him back through the age that happened could be traumatic, and that’s if nothing goes wrong. And with his ring, well, we haven’t exactly had any experience in working magic with one of those.”

The others all looked around the table, looking for an answer to their predicament. No one wanted to leave Jason like this, but none of them wanted to risk hurting him either, let alone putting him back through the events in Ethiopia. It made the idea of leaving him as is so much more compelling. 

“We can’t not try,” Kyle said beside him.

The stares came as could be expected, all skeptical in their judgement. Of course Kyle would be the one to say that. He wasn’t exactly impartial here.

“I agree,” Bruce droned out. “We need to find a way to make it work.”

“He’s been accessing some of his ring’s power,” Hal said from his perch on the wall. “Carol was able to focus some of it, get a little bit of sensation from his memories. Maybe if we give him someone to focus on it’ll help.”

“It’s possible,” Zatanna said slowly, looking around the group. “But there’s a possibility that whoever’s helping him could then be affected by my magic.”

“Will it age them along with Jason?” Bruce asked, his free hand tightening where it laid.

“No, but they’d run the risk of a sort of mental link. Think of it like an emotional or telepathic connection, only longer lasting.”

All eyes shot up to Kyle who was looking conflicted, his own flickering to the side. Dick followed his gaze, finding Jason there looking back with that same speculative look from earlier. Roy said something, drawing Jason’s eyes away, and with it Kyle turned back to find everyone still staring awkwardly.

“You don’t have to if you don’t—”

“I’ll do it,” Kyle interrupted. “Just tell me when and I’ll do it.”

Zatanna studied him, squinting her eyes as they roamed. “Tomorrow,” she said. “I need to get some things, but I’ll be ready by tomorrow.”

Everyone nodded, reluctant as they may be. No one wanted to wait another day, but they really didn’t have any other option.

Dick looked back over to Jason and Roy, watched as Hal rejoined their little group. Everything would be fine, he told himself. They could do this, it’d be fine.

* * *

Who was this guy?

Jason knew he shouldn’t stare, his mom always said it was rude and he never liked it when people stared at him, but he just… he couldn’t help it. This guy, this other Green Lantern —that’s what he was right? He wasn’t imagining that ring— felt familiar somehow.

Looking at him made something start nagging at the back of his head, scratching and clawing and demanding he remembered. But there was nothing to remember, he didn’t know him.

But then he’d concentrate, he’d concentrate and the world would turn pink and the lines would appear again. But he could see one, bright and big, stretching out between him and this guy. But that didn’t make sense. The lines only went between people who loved each other and to love someone you have to know them and he definitely didn’t know this guy.

But he knew a name, Kyle. He didn’t know where it came from or where the other words came from, but they felt like memories, like things he knew. But that didn’t make sense, not at _all_. He doesn’t know this guy!

But what if he was the Kyle Carol talked about?

A finger poked his shoulder, thankfully pulling him away from staring at the man across the cave. He’d caught on to Jason’s staring apparently, his head turned and cocked to the side.

“You alright?” Roy asked. “You’ve been staring pretty hard. Recognize him?”

“No,” Jason answered, taking a peek back towards the table where everyone was. Okay, good, he wasn’t watching. “Feels like I’m s’posed to though.”

Roy hummed, not really answering. “Well, Z’s with them, so we’ll probably be going back soon.”

Jason stopped, his brows pinching as he thought of it. Go back, back to his mom, his mom and her drugs and the weird men and women that hung around their building, the guys who’d come by every couple weeks demanding money. Back, where he doesn’t know anyone, where Guy and Hal aren’t nice or together, where Carol and Talia don’t know he exists, where Roy’s off with the other Titans.

“Hey, it’s alright,” Guy whispered, his hand rubbing circles into Jason’s back. “Everything’s gonna be alright Jay, don’t you worry.”

“But…”

“I promise, it’ll be okay.”

“Yeah,” Roy added. “We’re in this together. When we get back you’re stuck with me. Big brother Roy, that’s what you’ll be calling me soon enough.”

Jason nodded his agreement, at least a little calmer at the promise. “Why does he look so upset?” he asked, pointing towards the man, Kyle, from earlier. “His ring keeps lighting up with all those different colors and stuff.”

He looked up to Guy, hoping to find answers, but Guy was staring at Kyle as well, his face pinched in thought.

“No idea,” Roy said in his stead. “Maybe his ring is broken? I never saw Uncle Hal’s or anyone else’s do that.”

“Yeah, that makes sense… But why does he look so sad?”

Roy hummed, scratching his chin as he stared. “Maybe he knows older us? Like _knows_ knows. So he’d be missing them.”

Carol’s words ran through his head again. Is this the same Kyle? “You think?”

“Yeah.”

Jason looked back to Kyle, finding him thankfully turned away. He concentrated on the lines again, searching them out. He heard Roy make a noise beside him but he paid him no mind. The world went pink once more as he followed the lines. There, like earlier, was the one between him and Kyle, but beside it he could see another running from Kyle to Roy. It wasn’t as big or bright as the one going to Jason, but it was definitely there. If Roy was right, then that…

The smell of flowers filled his nose, sweet but alien. A feeling of fondness soon followed it. The sensation of running his hands through something, through hair, followed, and soon came the smell of salt water and ozone mixing with the flowers.

In an instant the pink was gone and he was burying his face in his hands. Oh god, what was that? Memories?

He needed to go back, he had to. As nice as all this was, it wasn’t fair to older him to keep them separated, and it wasn’t fair to himself. If he never went back this would never happen, these happy memories would never be his. He _had_ to go back.

* * *

The library here was freaking huge. The old guy, Alfred, said there were another two somewhere in this house, but Jason couldn’t possibly believe that. There was just no way.

The shelves were as high as the ceiling, and the room itself had to be bigger than his and his mom’s whole apartment. Every single shelf was filled to the brim with books. It was all so much, everything he’d ever wanted. He’d spent so many nights at the public library, digging through the worn and torn books there, hoping that one day he might have some of his own. But it didn’t seem real then, not at all, for one person to amass such a collection. But here it was right in front of him.

It was _amazing_.

In his excitement to see everything the room had to offer he almost missed the man sitting at the desk by the window. He was that guy from the first night, the one who’d been fighting with Hal, Bruce. He was hunched over a tablet, the arm that should be in a sling out and working in jerky motions. He clearly knew Jason was there, his head tilted just so to let him know he was listening, but he made no other motion to show it.

Jason watched him from around the bookshelf, looking him over in the hopes of figuring him out. He looked up, finding a familiar emblem on one of the man’s papers and it finally clicked. Wayne, this was Bruce Wayne, that rich guy who owned that company Wayne Enter-something. The revelation did little more than confuse him further. Wayne might not be the brightest of guys, but whatever happened looked serious. And from everything he’d seen about him he was always bubbly and social. This guy was none of those things.

Well, it’s not like Jason would really know him that well from the magazines his mom read, would he?

Screw it, what’s the worst that could happen?

“What happened to you?” he asked as he approached the man. Bruce looked down at him, clearly taken aback at the question. Jason just nodded down towards his legs and arm. “Ya look all beat up and stuff, what happened?”

Bruce looked down at him, and it was then that Jason noticed the sad look in his eyes, like he felt guilty or something. He took a step back, ready to retreat, only for Bruce to answer in the most pained of voices, “I hurt someone close to me. I hurt them a lot.” He looked down, lifting his arms the few inches off the table with a sad chuckle. “In a way this is my punishment.”

Jason watched on, confused and unsure about the man’s statement. That didn’t sound right. It sounded more like a confession, like he didn’t want to say much but he still felt like he needed to say it. “It was me, wasn’t it?”

Bruce sighed, closing his eyes as he dipped his head. “It was a lot of people,” he admitted, looking back up to Jason. “Too many people.”

“Why?”

Bruce’s mouth opened, then shut, then opened again, yet no noise escaped. He wet his lips, his brows pinched as he struggled to speak.

“Are you scared?” Jason asked when no answer came.

Bruce stopped working his mouth, looking at Jason trying to figure something out. “Perhaps I am,” he said.

“Why?”

“I’m not sure, not entirely.”

Jason looked up at him, at this sad wreck of a man, broken in every way Jason could see. How could this happen? And to a rich guy like Bruce Wayne? It felt impossible. “Is older me helpin’ you?” he asked. Surely he would, right? It’d be weird if he didn’t.

“He’s offered, but I haven’t been that nice about it.”

“Well you should at least try to,” he said, welcoming himself to the seat next to Bruce. “You should try with everyone. The last thing you want is to wind up all alone right?”

Bruce’s frown turned to surprise and Jason let himself feel just that little bit of satisfaction as he watched a small smile take its place. “No, I suppose I don’t.”

“Good, now whatcha doing?”

“Paperwork.” At Jason’s rolled eyes he chuckled. “Though I can put it on hold for a while.” He pointed towards a nearby bookshelf. “Why don’t you grab us a book.”

Jason practically vibrated out of the chair as he dashed towards the bright covers, a strange feeling of accomplishment racing through him.

* * *

He hated this feeling, this confusion, this anger and fear and worry that ate away at him. Just like with every time he’d felt it before, Kyle wasn’t sure what to do, what he even could do. But he needed to do something, felt it like an ant crawling just under his skin.

Hal had sat him down, talked through everything he was supposed to do, made sure he understood it. He’d be acting as a lifeline of sorts to Jason, keeping him grounded while Zatanna worked her magic to reage him. They weren’t entirely sure what the process would look like, but they knew if someone wasn’t there then it could be a lot harder on Jason. 

He hated this so much, hated with a burning passion the fact that after so many days Jason and Roy were still stuck like this, hated that for all of his and Dick’s searching they couldn’t find the fucker who did this. They finally got a name, one they were sure was real, but they hadn’t been able to track the slimy son of a bitch down. If only they’d been quicker, if only he hadn’t been off on Oa…

No, no he shouldn’t think like that, no. Everything was going to be alright soon. Zatanna was here more than ready to undo what had been done. Jason and Roy would be back to normal soon. He’d finally get to see Jason again, _his_ Jason. Finally get to hold him and kiss him and make sure he knew how much he was loved.

Fear clawed at his back, hints of yellow creeping into his vision as he tried to ignore the thoughts of never getting Jason back. He couldn’t think like that, he couldn’t. Jason and the others needed him to be on his A game. He couldn’t be slacking, and he certainly couldn’t be letting thoughts like that enter his mind.

Especially not with how Jason kept staring at him like he was some puzzle that needed to be solved. He didn’t know how worried he should be about that. And then there was Roy, who was maybe fourteen at the most. The poor kid was just trying to keep a level head while keeping a watch over Jason. Considering his age, that couldn’t be an easy feat.

Neither of their current ages lent themselves to a great time. The beginnings of puberty was Roy’s monster, back once again to wreck its havok, and Jason was, well… Kyle knew Jason was small as a teen and a kid, smaller than he should have been. He knew he grew up poor and malnourished, Jason had said so himself, but knowing and seeing were two different things. He was so small, so short and thin and frail. Alfred and the others were trying to feed him here in Gotham, and he knew Guy and Hal had been making more than enough food for their little family on top of keeping all the snacks within easy reach. Food anxiety Guy had called it when Kyle asked about all the snacks he was buying. He’d said nothing more, just threw another box of granola bars in his basket before they continued on their way. Even with all that Jason was still so small.

It’d only been a few days, but that didn’t stop Kyle’s concerns. And trying to push those thoughts away only did so much. Until Jason was back to normal his fears would remain, that was just a fact.

The time came, somehow managing to feel too quick and not nearly quick enough for his liking. Everyone stood around, waiting anxiously as Zatanna prepared the space. The herbs were laid out meticulously, creating a pattern across the cave floor. Any other time Kyle would want to sketch it, or even to help, but now he couldn’t, not with the bees nest loose in his stomach. 

They’d decided Roy would go first. He had a lesser chance of something going wrong after all, and a lot less to grow than Jason did. 

He looked up to Hal and Guy as though looking for one last affirmation that it’d be alright and Kyle about lost his nerve, especially when Roy pulled Jason into a hug and whispered something in his ear.

This would be fine, everything was gonna be alright.

He repeated the words over and over in his head as Zatanna began her incantation. Her voice rose and with it some of the herbs began to smoke. But then there was a light, blinding and intense, filling the cave and forcing him to close his eyes. Then it was over.

Dick rushed forward to catch the now adult Roy as he fell, Roy clutching his head as he went down. He groaned, curling into Dick as best he could. Dick just shushed him, brushing his hair away from his face as he whispered words of comfort.

Kyle looked up from the scene, finding Jason staring at Roy in surprise, not even caring about the skin on display, and no doubt wondering if Roy had returned to their time or whatever it was they’d been told. Jason turned his head to meet Kyle’s gaze, breaking it for a second to look up to Guy and Hal, much like Roy had. He asked them something, receiving nods and shoulder pats with their answer. Then the men leaned and crouched down to hug the boy and kiss his head, and Kyle once again didn’t know what to feel. On one hand, the display was absolutely adorable, filling his chest with warmth at the sight, on the other it was heart wrenching, knowing that Jason had grown so attached to them and was so worried about never seeing them again. But then Jason was walking towards him, away from Hal and Guy, with determination in those teal eyes as he looked Kyle up and down.

“You’re supposed to help me, right?”

Kyle nodded, his throat far too constricted for him to have any hope of answering Jason’s question. Jason accepted it anyway.

“The ugh,” Jason began, clearly losing his confidence the longer he talked. “the threads say you and older me are really close. Carol too. Is that true?”

Kyle cocked his head, trying to figure out what Jason could possibly be talking about. Threads? Maybe it was a new power, one similar to his reading ability perhaps?

“Yeah,” he answered. “We’re pretty close.”

“And you want him back? Like a lot right?”

Where the hell was this question coming from? Of course he did, but an eight year old was the last person he expected to be asking this question. “Yeah I do.”

Jason grabbed his hand, that earlier determination back. “You’ll get him back,” he promised. “And I’ll get back to my mom. Everything’ll be okay.”

Kyle chuckled at the promise, his heart breaking just that little bit more as he thought about how absurd it was that Jason, a child, felt like he had to reassure him. “Yeah, you’re right. It will be.”

Soon enough they were in Zatanna’s circle sitting across from each other. Jason’s hands rested in Kyle’s, small as ever, and squeezed his once Zatanna’s chanting began.

“Focus on me,” Kyle whispered, squeezing his hands back. “Just focus on me, nothing else.”

Jason nodded, forcing himself to look up to Kyle with a gulp. The fear was written across his face plain as day, and Kyle wanted nothing more than to take it away. He shouldn’t have to feel that, not here, not ever. He’d do anything to take it away.

It didn’t take long to feel the tingling in his head, the thoughts and feelings of another just as Zatanna had warned about. The fear tore into him, and after a moment of recoiling he pushed his will back to Jason. He’d done a similar thing enough times with his love, he could do this with his will, he knew he could. He could handle Jason’s fear, he could hold it, he just needed Jason to focus.

_Stay with me_.

He wasn’t sure which of them said it, if it was even said at all, but the noise around them seemed to be getting louder, the smell of burning leaves filling their noses as Kyle held tight to Jason’s emotions across their link. He could do it, just a little more, they could do it. He just needed to hold on to Jason, to his emotions, to the thunderstorm going on inside his mind right now, then everything would be alright.

The bright light came once more, only instead of the bright blue from Roy’s return, this one was white. Kyle couldn’t tell where it came from, where it went, just focused on the person in his mind, focused on the shifting and the pain and the panic, pulling it away from Jason, holding it all for himself, before everything settled and the emotions finally calmed.

A sudden weight on his shoulder pulled him from his concentration. His eyes blinked open—when the hell had he closed them— to find a mop of black hair to his right with a fully grown Jason attached to it.

“Jason?” He poked Jason’s back and sides in an attempt to get his attention, receiving a groan for his efforts as Jason forced his head further into Kyle’s shoulder. Kyle couldn’t hold back the growing smile, or the quiet laughter that followed as he wrapped his arms around Jason. “You’re back,” he said through the laughs, “it actually worked.”

Jason lifted his head, reaching up to Kyle’s face to wipe away the tears that had snuck past. “And if it isn’t my knight in shining white armor waiting to greet me,” he chuckled, glancing down to Kyle’s chest. “Show off.”

Kyle didn’t know what to say to that, didn’t know how to process that his ring was very much not green anymore. So he just pulled Jason closer.”You’re never leaving my sight again,” he promised.

Jason’s laughter filled his ears, deep and full and from the heart and by god had he missed that. “You so sure about that?”

He looked back at the man before, at the teal eyes glowing a beautiful violet, at that crooked smile and those black and white curls and he knew this was where he wanted to be. No one else registered in his mind, the movement of the others approaching going ignored as he stared into Jason’s eyes, relief flooding through him. The week was finally over.

“One hundred percent.”

* * *

The shipyard was as quiet and deserted as the last one Jason had seen. The few people around were heading out for the night. But they weren’t the ones he was after. Oh no, not even close.

He could see the white of Kyle’s suit out of the corner of his eyes, standing out in the darkness. It made him chuckle, just as it had when he realized what had happened. Of course Kyle would unlock the full range of his powers while getting Jason back, of course he would. Not to mention the man hadn’t left his side since he’d been turned back, not that Jason was complaining. Not when that time was used so...creatively. Kyle knew how to woo someone, that was for sure, and he definitely knew how to make sure you knew you were missed.

The sparks of their mental link helped, a side effect that Zatanna assured was temporary. Jason didn’t mind, if anything he was enjoying it, and Kyle certainly didn’t seem to ,omd either. Considering they’d had something similar whenever they initiated physical contact already, this was nothing.

He looked up, just managing to spot two figures in red across the yard, as well as a familiar shadow and its own red and green shadow. Looking back to Kyle he found the man ready and waiting.

They leapt together, and in the distance he knew the others did the same.

Finding the container wasn’t hard. Between Jason following the threads of parents to their children and Kyle feeling the life flowing through the area, they hardly spent any time in searching. 

And just as they’d expected, they weren’t alone.

The look of shock on Lester’s face was everything Jason had ever hoped for. Watching as he turned to run only to find the others blocking his path was even better. He’d attempted another escape, tried to attack, only to have that halted by Zatanna. He didn’t stand a chance.

While the others dealt with their little friend, Jason set his sights on the container and the children therein. Making his way through them, he undid their bindings and comforted the few that were crying. Damian and Cass followed right behind him, and soon Kyle was once more at his side.

“It’s not all of ‘em,” he whispered as he looked over the children, matching faces to names and counting how many were there. “Not even close.”

“No, but it’s a start,” Kyle assured him. “If we’re lucky we can pull the location of the others out of him,” he continued, gesturing to where Lester had been restrained.

“Hmm.” He leaned back into the arms around his waist, mindful of the children that had latched onto him. They could hear sirens wailing in the distance. Good, the kids could finally get out of here. “What do you want for dinner?”

“You.”

Jason chuckled, low and deep as he smirked. “Mr. Rayner, there are children present.”

“Well Future-Mr. Rayner, I can’t help but be honest.”

Jason knocked their heads together, swinging his hips into Kyle’s. “We clearly need to round out your diet a bit more.”

“And what do you suggest?”

“Hmm, you’ll see.”

Damian made a noise of disgust with a pointed look at the two. The children laughed at the joke, helping them to settle just that little bit more.

They watched as the police came, taking the children into the cars and the mystic into custody. Dick was already off hiding, ready to follow the vehicles back to ensure the children’s safe arrival.

Jason leaned back, his head hitting Kyle’s shoulder. “I love you,” he whispered as he turned to him, “so much.”

Kyle leaned forward, his arms tightening as he pulled Jason into a kiss. A flash of violet ran through Jason’s vision, a sensation of another running through his head as he returned it.

“I love you too,” Kyle whispered as he pulled back before burying his head in Jason’s shoulder. “I missed you so much. Don’t ever do that again.”

“No promises.”

“At least _try_ not to get turned into a kid again,” Kyle begged.

“What, was I not a cute enough kid for you?” Jason asked playfully.

“You were, it’s just…”

“Hush, I know what you mean.” He leaned forward, pecking his lips once more. “I promise, I’ll try not to get turned into a mini-me ever again.”

“That’s all I ask for.”

Jason sighed, content as the shipyard fell into silence. The week was still fuzzy to him, a big blur that he could barely remember. He couldn’t pick anything out, not without a prompt or something triggering a memory. He could remember some emotions, fear, anxiety, contentment, but he couldn’t get a grasp on it. He was sure Roy was in the same boat but he was unsure of how to ask, worried that he was the only one.

He brushed the worry away, focusing on the shipyard around them and the man still holding onto him.

Future Mr. Rayner huh? He could live with that.

* * *

Epilogue

The apartment was quiet, too quiet. Even with the car horns blaring outside, even through their labored breaths and the echoes of their moans and cries running through his head, the silence still loomed.

The hands on his chest were welcomed, kneading his tired muscles as they worked down his body, paying special attention to his sore hips and thighs, careful with the bruises forming there. Where Hal got off on having hands that talented he’d never know.

“What’s wrong?” Hal asked once he finished his circuit, leaning up by his head as his fingers continued to dance across Guy’s chest. He chuckled, a teasing lilt to his voice as he asked, “It wasn’t _that_ exhausting was it? We’ve gone much longer before. Or did that week without make you lose your stamina?”

Guy snorted back, pulling Hal’s hand up to his lips in a kiss. “You wish. If anyone’s running out of steam here it’s you flyboy.”

“Really now?” In an instant Hal was on him, trapping him on the bed, kissing him in that way that always drove him nuts. “Seriously though,” he said as they separated, all hints of joking and teasing gone from his voice. “What’s wrong?”

He didn’t know how to phrase it, what words would explain this weird emptiness that had settled over the last day and a half. How was he supposed to explain that for how loud the world was, there was something missing? He didn’t even understand, how the hell was Hal supposed to?

“It feels empty now, wrong,” he settled on. Watching as Hal raised an eyebrow, a sly smirk stretching across his face as he looked down then back up again. Guy about threw the man off the bed. “Not like _that_.”

Hal hummed, resting his chin on his hands as he searched Guy’s face. “It’s the kids, isn’t it?” he asked, the teasing gone.

“I guess? It just, it feels like something’s missing, that’s all.”

Hal leaned forward, kissing his nose softly before nuzzling his cheek. “I miss them too. But it’s not like they’re _gone_ gone, they’re just big again and out doing whatever it is they do.”

“I know, it’s just, different I guess.”

Hal’s hums filled his ears once more, and as the man laid his head on his shoulder he thought that’d be the end of it. Minutes ticked by, the sounds from outside starting to dwindle, and Guy felt his eyes grow heavy. It was of course as he was accepting the oncoming bout of sleep that Hal spoke up.

“You know, we kind of did this whole thing backwards, didn’t we?”

“Wha’ d’ya mean?”

“Well, we got Jason as an adult,” Hal said, lifting his finger, “which we weren’t even together for. We’ve technically been sharing a place for a few years now.”

“It’s not like you have your own,” Guy grumbled in. “And everyone stays here, not just you.”

“ _Still_ ,” Hal raised another finger. “We’ve been sharing beds for how many years now,” up went another finger, “I mean hell there was that time on Xypher II where we had to act as a couple,” up went another. “Now we had to raise our adult child as an actual child,” and there went another one. “I’m just saying, feels like we might’ve jumped around a bit.”

“You complaining Jordan?”

“Not at all, just stating facts.”

They fell quiet once more, Hal’s fingers drawing circles across his arms as his own rested on the other’s back. He closed his eyes, focusing on the feeling of the man on top of him, ready to doze off before his eyes shot open.

“Are you-” he cut himself off as he stared at Hal’s unimpressed face. “Is this your way of, what is, shit are you really-?”

Hal chuckled, tilting his head as he pressed a finger to Guy’s lips. “Only if you want it to be. Though technically by Xypher II’s records we already are.”

Guy stared up at him, eyes wide, breath coming in fast and hard as he processed what Hal just said. No fucking way. 

“I’m calling Jason,” Guy said, a strange excitement coursing through him as he watched Hal’s expression shift. “I need to consult with our son first.”

Hal just laughed, pinching his cheek. “You gonna call Roy too? We raised him for a week too you know.”

“As a matter of fact yes, that is a great idea, thank you honey bunches.”

The padded _thunk_ of Hal’s head hitting his shoulder and their combined laughter filled the room alongside the green light of their activated rings. With it, that strange emptiness seemed to disappear just that little bit more.

**Author's Note:**

> So sorry this update took so long. My brain hasn't been cooperating with me for the last few months, makes it kind of hard to keep track of plot and writing. Hopefully we'll be getting back to a normal update turnaround again.  
> If you guys wanna talk at me or see the art or anything, I'm on tumblr [ do_not_careissa ](https://do-not-careissa.tumblr.com/)  
> 


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